Can you spot evil in an X-ray? You can, at least according to a German scientist who claims an “evil patch” is visible in brain scans of criminals. Dr. Gerhard Roth, a neurologist and professor at the University of Bremen, told London’s Daily Mail that he discovered a dark mass near the front of the brain in scans of people with criminal records.

‘Psychopathic tendencies’

“When you look at the brain scans of hardened criminals, there are almost always severe shortcomings in the lower forehead part of the brain,” Roth said. “There are cases where someone becomes criminal as a result of a tumor or an injury in that area, and after an operation to remove the tumor, that person was completely normal again… This is definitely the region of the brain where evil is formed and where it lurks.”

Roth is not alone in his belief that brain scans can reveal psychopathic tendencies. Kent Kiehl, associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, for one, used a mobile MRI unit to conduct brain scans on 2,000 prison inmates in Wisconsin and New Mexico.

‘Distinct neurological condition’

Kiehl found similar patterns in their brain scans. “If you have different behavior, you’re going to have a different brain,” he said at a 2012 lecture at Duke University. “Psychopathy is currently considered the single best predictor of future behavior,” Kiehl said.

A growing number of psychologists “believe that psychopathy, like autism, is a distinct neurological condition—one that can be identified in children as young as 5,” the New York Times reported in May. “Crucial to this diagnosis are callous-unemotional traits, which most researchers now believe distinguish ‘fledgling psychopaths.'”

Not all psychologists believe such a diagnosis is possible, and even those that do admit they are uncomfortable with it. Roth himself admits the research is not foolproof.

Do you believe there is really an “evil patch” in the brain of criminals? How could the results of this research be of help to our society? Feel free to comment on this new scientific finding!

If you can’t get through your day without a coffee break or two, here’s good news for you: What scientists know so far suggests coffee may help you stay healthy. As usual with medical research, the operative word is “may.”

In general, regular coffee drinkers won’t be discouraged from continuing the habit, although there are exceptions. More is known about the overall association between coffee and positive health effects than about the mechanism behind it, said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Antioxidants are one potential reason that good outcomes are seen from coffee. Caffeine itself may also contribute to coffee’s positive effects on brain health. Coffee also appears to lower levels of insulin and estrogen. Insulin also plays a role in prostate cancer, another disease coffee may help stave off. Increased coffee consumption also is associated with longer life, according to Research in the New England Journal of Medicine. Again, no one knows what about coffee would make people live longer, but Ascherio theorizes it could be the protection against type II diabetes, Parkinson’s, depression and suicidal tendencies.

As common sense might suggest, the greatest overall benefits appear to be in people who drink coffee at moderate levels: two to three cups a day. But there are exceptions: A May 2011 study found that men who drink six or more cups a day had a decreased risk of fatal prostate cancer.

Doctors may never consider coffee a standard recommendation because of individuals’ varying susceptibility to side effects. Those include headaches, insomnia, heartburn and palpitations, not to mention urinary urgency. People who get fast heartbeats may need to steer clear of caffeinated coffee, too. Others don’t drink coffee because it irritates their stomachs. While all the evidence taken together suggests benefits from coffee, the burden of proof still isn’t quite strong enough, because these are associations, not a demonstration that coffee causes anything.

How often do you drink coffee? Do you think it is good or bad for your health? Share your java likes and gripes with us!